Erik Lundin was a prominent Swedish chess grandmaster who had an extended career from the 1920s to the 1960s. Born on February 2, 1904 in Stockholm, Sweden and died on December 20, 1988, he became an International Master in 1950 and an honorary Grandmaster in 1983.
Lundin participated in nine Swedish chess championships between 1927 and 1951. A seven time Swedish Chess Champion, he won these titles in 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1951, and 1953.
Lundin represented Sweden in the Chess Olympiads nine times (1935, 1937, 1939, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, and 1962), winning one individual bronze medal in 1952. He also represented Sweden in Nordic Chess Championships, which he won five times (1929, 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1962).
He competed in several strong international tournaments and his most significant results were clear first at Munich 1941 and tied for 3–4th with Grandmaster (GM) Efim Bogoljubow at Bad Pyrmont 1949. He also played two matches against GM Gideon Stahlberg in 1947 and 1960. Lundin's playing style was solid and positional, but he could also create beautiful combinations.
His contribution to chess theory is the Lundin variation in the Nimzowitsch Defence.